Patent Application
20170057234
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to technology for discharging liquid such as ink or the like, and particularly, relates to a configuration for mounting a liquid container for storing the liquid.
2. Related Art
In the related art, various technologies for discharging the liquid such as ink or the like supplied from a liquid container that is detachably mounted have been proposed. For example, in JP-A-2004-122462, a configuration for suppressing evaporation of ink by installing a sealing rubber around a joint portion through which ink is supplied from an ink tank and fixing the ink tank to the sealing rubber is disclosed. In a state where the ink tank and the sealing rubber are fixed to each other by the ink, dropout of the sealing rubber can be generated together with the ink tank in a process for removing the ink tank. Accordingly, a configuration in which the sealing rubber is fixed by using a caulking portion is disclosed in FIG. 7 of JP-A-2004-122462.
However, it is unlikely to accurately determine the position of the ink tank in a configuration where the caulking portion for fixing the sealing rubber interferes with the ink tank.
An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to accurately determine the position of a liquid container while suppressing movement of a sealing body for suppressing the evaporation of liquid.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid discharging device including: a liquid discharging portion that discharges liquid supplied from a liquid container; a container mounting portion in which the liquid container is detachably mounted; a connection portion in which a flow path for supplying liquid within the liquid container mounted in the container mounting portion to the liquid discharging portion is formed; a sealing body that surrounds the connection portion in a plan view, and includes a contact surface in contact with the liquid container mounted in the container mounting portion; and a holding portion that suppresses movement of the sealing body by being installed to overlap the contact surface in a plan view, in which the holding portion is not in contact with the liquid container mounted in the container mounting portion. In the above configuration, since the holding portion is installed so as to overlap the contact surface of the sealing body in a plan view, a possibility that the sealing body is moved when the liquid container is removed from the container mounting portion is suppressed. In addition, since the holding portion is not in contact (for example, interference) with the liquid container mounted in the container mounting portion, it is possible to accurately determine the position of the liquid container compared to a configuration where the liquid container is in contact with the holding portion.
However, in a configuration where a second side of an opposite side to a first side is first spaced from the container mounting portion by rotating the liquid container according to a setting of the first side of the liquid container as a supporting point in a process where the liquid container mounted in a container mounting portion is removed, there is a tendency that dropout of a portion of the second side of the sealing body is easily generated compared to a portion of the first side. In view of the above tendency, a configuration where at least the holding portion is installed in a side in which the liquid container is first spaced from the container mounting portion in a process where the liquid container mounted in the container mounting portion is removed is effective in that the movement of the sealing body is suppressed.
In accordance with a preferable aspect of the invention, the holding portion may be a portion that is upwardly projected on the contact surface by partially melting the connection portion. In the above aspect, since the portion that is upwardly projected on the contact surface by partially melting the connection portion is used as the holding portion, there is an advantage that a configuration and a manufacturing method are simplified compared to a configuration where a holding portion of a separate body from the connection portion is installed.
In accordance with a preferable aspect of the invention, the connection portion may include a first portion including an installation surface of a filter through which the liquid supplied from the liquid container to the flow path passes, and a second portion including a stepped surface that is positioned on an opposite side to the liquid container only from the installation surface, and the holding portion may be upwardly projected on the contact surface contiguous to the stepped surface. In the above aspect, for example, in an inspection process of the liquid discharging device, by positioning a tip end of a tubular body for supplement liquid in close contact with the stepped surface, it is possible to supply the liquid to the flow path of the connection portion through the tubular body.
In accordance with a preferable aspect of the invention, the holding portion may be a portion in which an end portion of a protruding portion inserted into an insertion hole of the sealing body is deformed. In the above aspect, the holding portion is realized by deformation (caulking) of the end portion of the protruding portion inserted into the insertion hole of the sealing body. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the movement (or dropout) of the sealing body can be effectively prevented by using a simple process.
In accordance with a preferable aspect of the invention, a shape of the protruding portion may be a shape along a circumferential direction of the sealing body in a plan view. In the above aspect, since the protruding portion of the shape along the circumferential direction of the sealing body in the plan view is installed, there is an advantage that the movement of the sealing body can be effectively prevented.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.
The liquid discharging portion 26 and the container mounting portion 28 are mounted on the carriage 24 of the first embodiment and a plurality of the liquid containers (cartridge) 30 for storing a plurality of types of ink that are different from each other are detachably supported in the container mounting portion 28. The liquid discharging portion 26 is an ink jet head that discharges the ink that is supplied from the liquid container 30 from a plurality of nozzles on the medium 12 under the control of the control unit 20. Specifically, the liquid discharging portion 26 includes a pressure chamber and a piezoelectric element corresponding to each of a plurality of nozzles, and discharges ink that is filled within the pressure chamber from each of nozzles, by changing pressure within the pressure chamber by driving each of the piezoelectric elements through supplementing of a drive signal according to image data. However, it is also possible to use the liquid discharging portion 26 of a heat method using heat generation elements for changing pressure within the pressure chamber by generating a bubble within the pressure chamber by heating. The control unit 20 reciprocates the carriage 24 in a direction intersecting the direction in which the medium 12 is transported. The liquid discharging portion 26 discharges the ink on the medium 12 in parallel with the transportation of the medium 12 and the repetitive reciprocation of the carriage 24 by the transport mechanism 22 such that a desired image is formed on a surface of the medium 12.
The container mounting portion 28 is a hollow housing of a substantially rectangular shape of which an upper portion is opened, and includes a bottom portion 41 and a side portion 42. The bottom portion 41 is a portion of a flat plate shape constituting a bottom surface of the container mounting portion 28, and the side portion 42 is a portion that is protruded from a surface of the bottom portion 41 along the peripheral of the bottom portion 41. A partition plate 43 for partitioning a space for accommodating the liquid container 30 and a connection portion 44 connected to the supply port 32 of the liquid container 30 mounted in the container mounting portion 28 are formed in the bottom portion 41. On the other hand, an engaging portion 45 and an engaging portion 46 are formed in each of the liquid containers 30 on the side portion 42. The engaging portion 45 and the engaging portion 46 are notches or openings. The claw portion 33 of the liquid container 30 is engaged with the engaging portion 45 and the claw portion 35 thereof is engaged with the engaging portion 46 such that the liquid container 30 is held in a state where the supply port 32 is connected to the connection portion 44 of the bottom portion 41.
The sealing body 48 is an annular sealing member formed of elastic material such as rubber, elastomer, and the like, and is disposed on the base surface SA so as to surround the connection portion 44 in a plan view. In
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A filter 47 is installed on a surface (hereinafter, referred to as “installation surface”) S1 of the opposite side of the second portion 52 in the first portion 51. For example, the filter 47 is fixed on an installation surface S1 by thermocompression. On the other hand, a supply body 36 is installed in an inner portion of the supply port 32 of the liquid container 30. The supply body 36 is formed by porous material or a nonwoven fabric to which the ink within the liquid container 30 penetrates. In a state where the liquid container 30 is mounted in the container mounting portion 28, the supply body 36 is pressed against a surface of the filter 47, and the ink penetrated from the main body portion 31 of the liquid container 30 to the supply body 36 is passed through the filter 47 and supplied to the flow path 49. The filter 47 collects foreign matter and bubbles that are mixed with the ink supplied from the liquid container 30 to the flow path 49 of the connection portion 44.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As can be appreciated from
In a process PA2 after the process PA1 is performed, the stepped surface S2 of the second portion 52 is pressed on a machining surface 91 of a machining device 90. The machining surface 91 is heated at a temperature to melt the connection portion 44. Therefore, a portion melted by the heating on the machining surface 91 of the second portion 52 flows above the contact surface SB. By cooling the connection portion 44 after the performance of the process PA2, the holding portion 53A of a shape upwardly projected on the contact surface SB of the sealing body 48 is integrally formed with the connection portion 44. As can be understood from the above description, the holding portion 53A of the first embodiment is a portion upwardly projected on the contact surface SB by partially melting the connection portion 44.
In a state where the supply port 32 of the liquid container 30 and the contact surface SB of the sealing body 48 are fixed to each other by the adhesion of ink, external force toward a movement direction of the liquid container 30 can act on the sealing body 48 in the process for removing the liquid container 30 by a user. In the first embodiment, since the holding portion 53A is installed so as to overlap the holding portion 53A with the contact surface SB of the sealing body 48 in a plan view, it is possible to reduce a possibility of the movement of the sealing body 48 in the process for removing the liquid container 30. Moreover, in the first embodiment, since the holding portion 53A is not in contact (for example, interference) with the liquid container 30 mounted in the container mounting portion 28, it is possible to accurately determine the position of the liquid container 30 compared to a configuration in which the liquid container 30 is in contact with the holding portion 53A.
As a method for fixing the sealing body 48 in the bottom portion 41, it is also assumed that adhesion using adhesive and pressing (strong fit) of the sealing body 48 is used. However, in a configuration in which the sealing body 48 is fixed by adhesive, there is a possibility that the adhesive is deteriorated and peeled by the adhesion and reaction of the ink with respect to the adhesive. In addition, in a configuration in which the sealing body 48 is pressed, a situation of replacement of the sealing body 48 can be difficult according to the temporal plastic deformation (creep). According to the first embodiment, since the sealing body 48 is held by the holding portion 53A, it is possible to suppress the peeling of the adhesive and the deformation of the sealing body 48. It is also possible to use the adhesion and the pressure in holding by the holding portion 53A.
In addition, in the first embodiment, since the holding portion 53A is formed by partially melting the connection portion 44, there is an advantage that a structure for mounting the liquid container 30 is simplified (for example, number of components are reduced), compared to a configuration in which a holding portion different from the connection portion 44 is installed on the connection portion 44.
However, before the shipment of the liquid discharging device 10, inspection (hereinafter, referred to as “filling inspection”) for determining the quality of an individual by actually supplying the ink to the liquid discharging portion 26, is performed. As described above, the flow velocity of the ink supplied to the liquid discharging portion 26 through the supply body 36 of the liquid container 30 is very low, and a long time is required to supply sufficient ink to the liquid discharging portion 26. Therefore, the supplement of the ink through the supply body 36 is not necessarily appropriate at the stage of the filling inspection in which rapid work is required.
In view of the above circumstances, in the first embodiment, the connection portion 44 is formed in the first portion 51 including the installation surface S1 and the second portion 52 including the stepped surface S2 that forms a step with respect to the installation surface S1. According to the configuration, it is possible to appropriately use the stepped surface S2 of the second portion 52 of the connection portion 44 in the filling inspection so as to supply the ink to the liquid discharging portion 26. Specifically, as illustrated in
A second embodiment of the invention will be described. A detailed description with respect to elements having the same effects or functions in each embodiment exemplified below as that of the first embodiment will be appropriately omitted by using numerals used in the description of the first embodiment.
In process PB2 after performing the process PB1, the plurality of columnar bodies 61 are pressed on the machining surface 91 of the machining device 90 that is heated at a high temperature. Each columnar body 61 that is melted through the heating by the machining surface 91 flows above the contact surface SB of the sealing body 48 such that the holding portion 53B is formed. That is, the holding portion 53B of the second embodiment is a portion upwardly projected on the contact surface SB by partially melting the connection portion 44, similar to the holding portion 53A of the first embodiment. Even in the second embodiment, the same effect as the first embodiment is realized.
As is understood from
Even in the third embodiment, the same effect as the first embodiment is realized. In addition, in the third embodiment, since the holding portion 53C is formed by deformation (caulking) of a tip end portion of the protruding portion 62, there is an advantage that the movement (or dropout) of the sealing body 48 can be effectively prevented by using a simple process.
Even in the fourth embodiment, the same effect as the third embodiment is realized. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, since the protruding portion 64 of a shape along the circumferential direction of the sealing body 48 in a plan view is formed, there is an advantage that the sealing body 48 can be firmly held.
Each embodiment exemplified above may be variously modified. Specific embodiments of deformation will be exemplified below. Two or more embodiments arbitrarily selected from the following example may be appropriately combined to the extent of not being inconsistent with each other.
(1) The position and number of the holding portions 53 (53A, 53B, 53C, and 53D) are arbitrary and are not limited to examples of each embodiment described above. For example, in the third embodiment, the holding portions 53C (protruding portion 62) are installed at four locations in the circumferential direction of the connection portion 44. However, as illustrated in
A process for removing the liquid container 30 from the container mounting portion 28 is exemplified in
(2) In each of the embodiments described above, the filter 47 is fixed on the installation surface S1 of the connection portion 44 before performing the processes (PA2, PB2, and PC2) for forming the holding portion 53. However, it is also possible to realize the formation of the holding portion 53 and the installation of the filter 47 in the same process. For example, as illustrated in
(3) In each of embodiments described above, a configuration in which the liquid container 30 is mounted in the container mounting portion 28 mounted in the carriage 24 is conveniently focused. However, even in a configuration (so-called off carriage) in which the liquid container 30 is mounted in a housing (except carriage 24) of the liquid discharging device 10, it is possible to adopt the same configuration as each of the embodiments described above in connection of the liquid container 30 and the connection portion 44. In addition, in each of the embodiments described above, a serial type liquid discharging device 10 in which the carriage 24 on which the liquid discharging portion 26 is mounted is moved is exemplified. However, the invention can also be applied to a line type liquid discharging device in which a plurality of nozzles are distributed over a width direction of the medium 12.
(4) The liquid discharging device 10 exemplified in the above embodiments can be adopted in various devices such as a facsimile machine, a copy machine, and the like in addition to a device dedicated to printing. However, the use of the liquid discharging device of the invention is not limited to printing. For example, the liquid discharging device that discharges color material solution is used as a manufacturing device for forming a color filter of a liquid crystal display device. In addition, the liquid discharging device that discharges a solution of conductive material is used as a manufacturing device that forms the wiring and the electrode of the wiring board.
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-164514, filed Aug. 24, 2015 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-164514 | Aug 2015 | JP | national |
